Being nice to others is a really good idea

I saw a bumper sticker a while back that stuck with me enough to jot it down when I next had a pen and paper available.

“Being nice to people is a really good idea.”

This is of course nothing new, as it is a restatement of the “Golden Rule” or the “Ethic of Reciprocity” that is a standard tenet of virtually every faith.  It is stated in the Bible in Luke 6:31 among other places:  “Do to others as you would have them do to you”

The language in the bumper sticker, however, seemed particularly poignant to me.  I think perhaps it is in part because it does not have the imperative nature of a “though shalt” in a commandment.   Further, it doesn’t contain a quid pro quo suggestion that I should be nice to others because they will be nice to me in return.   No, on reflection it is really just an opinion — a statement of belief that lets each of us fill in our own “why” or “because” if one is needed – though it occurs to me that the bumper sticker is complete as is.

“Being nice to people is a really good idea.”